Trouble Under the Tree (A Nina Quinn Mystery) (15 page)

“Taking a quick break. He’ll be right
back.”

“Who was that woman you were talking to a
minute ago? She looked familiar.”

“Nancy Davidson? She’s the staff
photographer.”

“Hmm,” Maria said. “I don’t know that name,
but her face looks familiar.”

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Mr. Cabrera exclaimed as he
came back into the room.

Maria beamed so brightly she practically
glowed. “It’s perfect!” she cried. “You’ve been practicing.”

He made an aw-shucks gesture. “Actually, the
knock on my head makes it too painful to raise my voice too
loud.”

“Well, whatever works,” she said. “Gracie
can’t wait to get her picture taken with you!”

Mr. Cabrera eyed the Chihuahua warily. The
knock to his head certainly hadn’t dulled his common sense.

“I don’t think we do dogs,” he said, settling
himself in his chair.

It was probably best he didn’t know the
things that happened in that chair.

“What?” Maria pouted. “That’s not what the
lady outside told me.”

“Who?” I asked.

“Green pencil skirt, black cashmere sweater,
gorgeous Louboutins.”

Ah. Jenny Christmas. Only Maria would
describe someone based on an outfit. “Well, if she said so, then I
guess it’s true.” I glanced at Mr. Cabrera. “My sympathies.”

A flurry of jingles came through the back
doorway, and I had to look twice at the person dressed as Mrs.
Claus. “Mrs. Krauss?”

“That’s Mrs. Claus to you,” she snapped.

My jaw dropped.

Gracie growled and kept trying to tear her
hat off her head.

Maria said, “Wow. You look amazing.”

Brickhouse was decked out in a red velvet
dress with white fur trim, a jingle bell belt, a sassy red milkmaid
type hat, and a pair of tiny gold glasses.

“She looks good, don’t she?” Mr. Cabrera
said.

“Oh you,” she said, swatting his hand away as
it reached to pat her rear end.

I swear Brickhouse blushed. Blushed!

“I guess you two are back on?”

They nodded.

“I get whiplash from their relationship,”
Maria said to me.

“We all do.” To Brickhouse, I said, “I
thought you turned down the job of Mrs. Claus?”

“Someone has to protect Donatelli,” she said.
“People are dying left and right around here.”

She had a good point.

A commotion rose outside the front door, and
a flustered Jenny Christmas flew through the doorway. “What is
going on in here? I’ve got a line back to the atrium.” She looked
accusingly at us.

We said nothing.

Gracie barked. The traitor.

Jenny rubbed her temples. “Where is
Nancy?”

I noticed Jenny still had a wild look in her
eye. Even a big crowd hadn’t allayed her anxiety about
Christmastowne’s success. “A few minutes ago she said she’d be
right back.”

Brickhouse said, “I saw her heading to the
restroom.”

“
Ugh
!” Jenny cried and stormed
out.

“She needs a chill pill,” Maria said,
watching her go.

“A big one,” Brickhouse added.

I silently agreed, even though I knew the
stress Jenny was under. I noticed the toy chest was full of
donations, and I couldn’t help but think about all the merchandise
in Fairlane’s house. Kevin had mentioned that she and Fairlee had
been selling the loot online, raking in the big bucks.

Jenny came stomping back into the room.
“Nancy left! She told Benny she felt sick, and she left.”

“She didn’t eat at the food court, did she?
Because I had one of those chicken sandwiches, and it’s not sitting
right with me.” Mr. Cabrera rubbed his stomach.

Jenny narrowed her eyes and jabbed a finger
at him. “Do not even so much as hint that there’s an outbreak of
food poisoning here, do you hear me?”

Brickhouse stepped between them. “Don’t you
know it’s rude to point at people? Have you no manners, Jenny
Chester? Do I need to call your mother?”

For a second there, I thought Brickhouse
forgot we weren’t in high school anymore.

Jenny flushed and backed away. “Where am I
going to find another photographer on short notice? Look at that
line out there. Just look.” Her face collapsed into anguish. “None
of you know how to work this camera, do you?”

We all shook our heads. I said, “I know
someone. He might still be hanging around.”

“Anyone,” she pleaded.

I made a call, begged yet another favor, and
hung up. “He’ll be here in a minute. You might want to look for an
elf hat for him, an XXL.”

“Why?” Jenny asked.

“To cover the skull tattoo. It might scare
the kids.”

A minute later, her eyes widened as Kit
appeared in the doorway. “Who’s ready to say cheese?”

Jenny said, “I’ll go find that hat.”

Maria plopped Gracie on Mr. Cabrera’s lap and
adjusted the tiny Santa hat atop the dog’s head. Then she adjusted
Mr. Cabrera’s hat and tried to smooth down his crazy eyebrows.
Frowning, she quickly gave up that task and backed away.

“Quickly, man,” Mr. Cabrera said to Kit.

Gracie twisted and squirmed, trying to get
the hat off her head.

“Quickly, quickly, quickly!” Mr. Cabrera
cried through tightly clenched teeth.

Kit said gleefully, “Say cheese.” He clicked
the camera.

Just in time because Gracie snarled, then
started to snortle. She tucked her tail.

“Oh no,” I mumbled.

Brickhouse scooped up the dog, and I was
already dreading seeing the stain on that lovely red velvet when
she looked into Gracie’s eyes and said firmly, “Control
yourself.”

Gracie blinked.

And amazingly, there was no piddle.

“How’d she do that?” Maria asked.

“No idea, but you might want to go before the
magic wears off.”

Maria snatched Gracie and ran.

I realized I was still holding a pen in my
hand. Nancy had left before I was able to take her down her
address.

***

As I walked through Christmastowne, I
surveyed the work my crew had done. Indoor landscapes were not my
specialty, but I had to admit, the village looked wonderful. There
really was a lot to love, and if Christmastowne could escape the
bad press of the murders and stop the troubling mishaps, I didn’t
doubt that it could be a success.

I followed my nose to The Gingerbread Oven.
The place was packed and Glory bustled around with a smile on her
face. She caught sight of me and wandered over.

“Did you need something, Nina?”

I really needed to banish the image imprinted
on my brain of her with Benny, but I didn’t think she could help me
with that. “Just admiring your work.”

“Thank you! It’s a passion.”

“Your family must be so proud of you.”

A cloud of suspicion crossed into her eyes,
and for the first time I questioned whether her ditziness was an
act.

“Of course they are!”

“Do they live nearby? Will they be able to
see you at work here?”

She fluffed her hair. “I’m sure they
will.”

A little girl tugged on Glory’s skirt. “I’m
done.”

“Wonderful! Just wash up now, and we’ll box
up your house.”

The little girl skipped away. “You’re good
with kids. Do you have any of your own?”

“Miss Glory!” a little boy called to her.

“Nina, I have to go.” She scrunched up her
nose. “It’s been lovely talking to you.”

She spun around and hurried across the
room.

Was it my imagination or had she been
completely evasive?

What was Glory hiding?

I stole a gumdrop on my way out and headed
upstairs to the third floor. I sat on a bench and watched people
pass by. I couldn’t help but think about the sabotage that had been
happening here. And wondered if it, too, was related to the deaths
of Fairlee and Fairlane.

It would be nice if Kevin could narrow down a
motive.

I kept an eye on the hallway that led to
Jenny and Benny’s office. I needed to have my timing right if I was
going to sneak in and take a peek at the employment files.

I had seen Benny go in a few minutes ago, but
he’d yet to come back out. Jenny was downstairs, supervising
Santa’s Cottage.

Taking out a pad of paper, I began a
Christmas list as I waited. I had a few vague ideas what to get
everyone, but I hadn’t bought anything yet. I was a last-minute
shopper to the core, but Christmas was a little less than a week
away, and I was starting to get a vibration of anxiety that I
wasn’t going to be able to get my shopping done on time.

My pen hovered next to Riley’s name. No way
was he getting the brother or sister he wanted, so I was going to
have to resort to video games, clothes, and gift cards. Poor
kid.

My cell phone rang, and I fished around in my
backpack until I found it buried at the bottom. It was Ana.

“What are you doing tonight?” she asked in a
breathless whisper.

“What are you suggesting in that 1-900 tone
of voice? I’m not that kind of girl.”

“That’s not sexy you’re hearing. That’s
panic. I have another appointment at the tattoo parlor tonight. I
need moral support.”

“Don’t you mean you just need support,
period? For when you pass out?”

“You’re so not funny.”

“Why do people keep telling me that?”

“Nina!” she cried.

I spotted Benny coming out of the office and
head toward the escalator. “Yes, I’ll hold your hand.”

She breathed a deep sigh. “Thank you.”

Keeping an eye on Benny, I said, “Do you
think you’ll be up for some Christmas shopping after?”

“Will you buy me some of those little mint
things from Hickory Farms?”

“Only if you’ll share.”

“Deal.”

We set a time and hung up. I watched as
Benny, a floor below, went into The Gingerbread Oven.

Hmm.

I suddenly questioned all those times Glory
had been so “distracted” that her gingerbread burned, setting off
the fire alarms. I’d bet my last roll of cookie dough that it
hadn’t been the fault of “forgetfulness,” but rather horniness. No
wonder Benny had always been first on the scene.

Poor Jenny.

As inconspicuously as possible, I inched my
way to the office and opened the door. There was still no one
working the reception area, thank goodness. I crept down the small
hallway to Jenny and Benny’s office. The door was wide open.
Practically an invitation for a snooper like me.

I quickly crossed to a filing cabinet and
started opening drawers. I found the employee files pretty fast.
Thankfully, they were filed alphabetically.

I went to Glory’s file first and jotted down
her social security number. I was backtracking to Nancy’s file to
get her home address when I heard the click of the door in the
reception area.

Quickly, I shut the drawer, raced over to a
chair and sat down. I pretended to be working on my Christmas list
when Benny walked into the room.

He stopped short when he saw me, then a smile
bloomed across his face. “Well, isn’t this a nice surprise. What’re
you doing in here, Nina?”

I jumped up. I didn’t like that look in his
eye. It reminded me a little too much of Kevin’s this morning in
the kitchen when he was eyeing the mistletoe.

“I was waiting for Jenny. I need to get Nancy
Davidson’s address...” I backed up as he slowly approached.

“Nancy? Why?”

“A camera,” I mumbled, darting looks left and
right.

“You look nervous,” he said, taking another
step closer. He was still smiling.

I was now pinned against the wall, nowhere to
go. “I really don’t like the way you’re looking at me.”

He laughed. “You’re a very pretty woman.”

“Now, see, if you’d said ‘cute’ I might have
bought that line, but ‘pretty’ is stretching it.”

“Your eyes,” he continued on, “are
like...”

“Swampland?” I provided. They were a murky
green.

“Dust-covered emeralds.”

Oy
.

He reached out a hand to touch my cheek. I
slapped it away. “I suggest you back off.”

His eyes darkened, his face hardened. “Or
else?”

His breath was hot against my face.
Adrenaline surged, and I fought against a rising panic.

“One little kiss, and I’ll let you go.” It
wasn’t a request.

“No,” I said loudly. I looked into his eyes
and saw that he didn’t care what said. He was intent on getting
what he wanted. My panic slowly changed into anger. Who did he
think he was?

“What’s going to stop me from taking one?” He
moved in, his muscled arms trapping me against the wall. “Not you,
surely.” His hand went for my breast.

I did a little spin move Kevin had taught me
years ago, elbowed Benny in the stomach, spun back and kicked him
in his jingle bells. He groaned and collapsed onto his knees.

“Steel-toed boots help,” I said, stepping
around him. My heart pounded, and my whole body was covered in
goose bumps. I wanted—I needed to get out of here.

I headed for the door and gasped when I saw
Jenny standing in the doorway. Her cheeks were aflame but her eyes
were blank.

“What are you doing here, Nina?” she
asked.

Benny moaned and groaned.

Her tone threw me off-guard. I stammered, “I
was waiting for you. I need to get Nancy’s address...”

She stomped over to the filing cabinet,
grabbed Nancy’s folder and thrust it at me. “Go.”

I took the file and ran as fast as my
steel-toed boots could carry me.

Chapter Sixteen

“You kicked him in the ’nads?” Ana asked as
we walked into The Ink Bottle tattoo parlor.

She said that last part just as we approached
the counter. The very nice-looking young man at the counter
blanched.

“Don’t worry,” I said to him. “I changed
shoes.”

He didn’t look appeased.

Ana gave him her name, then picked up our
conversation. “And his wife didn’t do anything?”